Cortical hyperarousal in individuals with frequent nightmares.
Journal of Sleep Research April 1, 2024 Clara Sayk, Sophia Saftien, Nicole Koch et al.
People with frequent nightmares show elevated high-frequency brain activity (beta and low gamma power) throughout the night compared to healthy controls, suggesting that cortical hyperarousal is a stable trait rather than a state limited to nightmare episodes. This heightened activity was reduced after six sessions of imagery rehearsal therapy, a cognitive-behavioral treatment. The findings indicate that the neural signature of hyperarousal in nightmare sufferers is both a persistent characteristic and modifiable by therapy, pointing toward potential treatments targeting high-frequency brain activity.